


The Scars You Don't See

by BurningFox6



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Please help the sap is overtaking me, Pre-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Romance, So Sappy, Valentine's Day, positivity, sap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29428854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurningFox6/pseuds/BurningFox6
Summary: After years of being Junko’s sister, Mukuro’s self-esteem is completely shot. She not only can’t take a compliment, she can’t even process it. When Naegi finds out, he’s determined to praise her every day until she starts to see her good traits. Soon, though, he realizes his comments are getting more and more detailed…
Relationships: Ikusaba Mukuro/Naegi Makoto
Comments: 11
Kudos: 57





	The Scars You Don't See

**Author's Note:**

> **I’ve wanted to write this for a loooong time, but only just now gave it a shot. What better day to release it, after all? Here’s hoping you enjoy this bit of content for one of my favorite pairs.**
> 
> **Just a heads up, there’s two segments with Junko in them that are a bit heavier than the rest. Nothing worse than what she did to Mukuro in the anime, but still worth pointing out for the mood shift. If you’re only here for fluff and positivity, you can probably skip over them without getting too lost.**
> 
> **Also, a Danganronpa charity fanzine I’m working with is opening orders within a month! If you want to see some art, fics, and love for some of the series’ less popular characters, check it out! https://inourheartsfanzine.tumblr.com/**

It’d all started with a little red bow.

Naegi was used to walking into class in the morning and stumbling upon some sort of shenanigans. When your peers were this eccentric and talented, your odds of sitting down and relaxing before first period were slim to none. 

But not today. No one was showing off, fooling around, or bickering. Not an explosion – verbally or literally – in sight. Idle chit-chat filled the room, leaving Naegi almost disappointed. He’d admittedly gotten used to the chaos. His friends were fun, and his luck always got him through their antics (mostly) unscathed anyhow.

Maybe that’s why he’d noticed her today. With nothing else to steal his attention, he found his eye drawn to a curious splash of bright red over in the corner.

It stood out unhelpfully on Mukuro’s white blouse while she tried not to be noticed. The soldier tended to keep to herself, and today was no different. She had her nose in a book, quietly passing the time before class began and she could fully fade into the background. But she’d been spotted, and against his better judgement, Naegi felt compelled to point out the change in accessory. He kinda liked the change – she usually had a plain black or brown bow like the other girls. Hopefully, she wouldn’t mind having her reading interrupted.

Clearing his throat, he stepped into the corner of her sight. Her eyes immediately flicked over, hawklike, making him flinch – then softened when they saw who it was. Naegi took that opportunity to explain himself. “Good morning! I like the new bow,” he said, gesturing towards it. “It looks nice on you.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

…Wait, what? “Huh?” Naegi muttered. Her response had been instant, practically rehearsed. She almost seemed surprised herself at how quickly she’d replied, but then went back to perusing her book, avoiding his worried look. Usually, when someone gave a compliment, you said thank you. Her reply was… concerning.

“Is something wrong?” Naegi asked, rubbing the back of his head. “It really does look nice on you. At least, I think so…”

Her cheeks reddened a bit, but she kept her gaze focused downward. She’d secretly felt something for Makoto for a while now, but not even that could make his compliment reach her. How did one explain that their sibling had gotten them used to being called an ugly dumpster? That insults and neglect were the only kind of twisted affection she’d ever received? 

“I… appreciate the sentiment.” She finally closed her book and turned in her seat to face him. “But please, don’t lie to me.”

His mouth hung open. Naegi… didn’t know what to say. And he was _really_ good at keeping positive in tense situations. Yet this blatant display of self-loathing threw him for a loop.

Finally, he recovered. “Don’t say that! You look fine!” he protested. But his words bounced off her blank face, and he sighed. “Where is this coming from, Mukuro…?”

From somewhere he’d never understand. A place where backhanded compliments and bashing had become a sort of enjoyable experience for her. Mukuro simply shook her head, grabbing her book again. “Don’t worry about it. Class is starting soon, anyway.”

Don’t worry about it? Please. This was all he was gonna think about all day. Even if she kept to herself, Mukuro was his and his classmates’ friend, and he wasn’t going to let a friend tear themselves down. 

It was then that he made a decision.

“I’m going to say something nice about you every day until you believe it!”

The normally stoic Mukuro faltered a bit, eyes wide. But not for long, before her despair-encrusted mind shook his words off. Normally it’d make her entire year for her crush to be determined to talk with her every day. But in this case, she just felt he was wasting his time. He’d give up in less than a week, if he even remembered tomorrow.

But she knew Naegi. She’d sneak peeks at him in the morning, keep an ear open to hear him talking with the others. He definitely wasn’t one to give up. It was one of the reasons she’d fallen for him. But could his intense positivity have an effect on her?

Probably not. But if he insisted on trying, she wouldn’t dissuade him from this impossible task. “If that’s what you want.”

“It is.” By now, class was about to start, so he backed up. But not without some parting words. “So be ready! …And red’s a good color on you!”

The bell rang, and her eyes followed him back to his seat. For a second, the corner of her lips twitched.

She wore the red bow a lot more after that.

* * *

He kept his word. Every day, he’d find something to comment on. It was almost funny, how he was watching her now instead of the other way around. 

Naegi started simple. One day he’d point out her school jacket looking nice, and she’d point out that all the other girls had the same one. Her short bob cut drew his eye one day, but she just claimed her sister’s hair was far more noteworthy.

Mukuro was resilient. She didn’t outright shut down his praise anymore, because that went soooo well the first time, but it was obvious it was having no effect. He needed to try something new.

He started picking up the more unconscious things. She was taller than him, and she chuckled when he admitted he was jealous. He spotted the pale freckles dotting her nose, and thought that they looked kinda pretty. But there was something about her that was hard not to point out.

He’d caught her without her gloves once, and gasped quietly at the mark standing out on the pale skin of the back of her hand. A wolf’s head bordered in black. Sure, it hadn’t been the first time she’d gone gloveless, but the tattoo had been in an inconspicuous spot before and it’d never really registered. When she caught him looking, she subtly shifted it out of view. The mark was a point of pride for her, a sign of her bond to her old mercenary group… and yet she still worried that his gape was a sign of disapproval.

“That’s so cool!”

“…Eh?” That wasn’t the response she’d expected, even less so when he reached down to gently move the tattoo back into sight. He was touching her hand. Her face bloomed red, and she prayed it’d die down before he stopped inspecting her.

“Yeah!” He lifted it just a bit higher, really noting all the little details. The mark was really well made. “Does it mean anything?”

It did – more than she felt comfortable sharing with him. She could’ve lied and said she just really liked dogs, but that’d be doing him a disservice. 

“…It’s the symbol of my mercenary group in the Middle East,” she explained. “I was with them for years. Training, taking jobs…” She went quiet. It went unsaid that the group took lives as well, and she wasn’t going to say how many of their missions were for good reason. To them, a contract was a contract.

It’d never really sunk in for Naegi that she’d, you know, killed people. And for a second, he glanced at her in a whole new light. She noticed the scrutiny, shrinking back, already accepting that the fun and games ended here.

…But he didn’t fully know what she’d done, nor did he care to. Sure, he didn’t want to think about it, but if blood on your hands made you an outcast, other soldiers wouldn’t have friends, have families. Plus, one of their classmates was an actual (though presently subdued) mass murderer and they… very reluctantly tolerated that. If their class could befriend someone like that, this soldier was practically a saint.

No, he wasn’t going to pry into what he’d just learned, because she was still Mukuro regardless.

“It’s a lot to take in,” he admitted sheepishly. “But it’s not every day you meet someone so brave. Going out on the battlefield so fearlessly and everything. Honestly… I’m impressed.”

Brave. He wasn’t concerned with why she was out in the field… just that she was. It was a surprise, a soft guy like Naegi brushing off something like that – and yet, accepting people and sticking with them was just what he did.

That was one of the compliments that actually got her to smile. “Thank you.” She didn’t feel too brave when it came to him, but his comment made her feel just a bit bolder.

You could only compliment someone’s appearance for so long before you seem superficial, though. Or worse, she’d think her clothes were the only thing about her worth commenting on. No, he had to look deeper, look for the things below the surface. And when he started looking… there were a lot of them.

Before long, he started noticing the less physical things. And as time went on, he realized he was truly starting to notice all the little traits about her that slip by if you’re not paying attention.

Mukuro was reserved. Very reserved. Even though the whole class were friends, got along, or at least tolerated each other, she still tended to stay away from everyone but her sister. And the times where he could segue from a compliment into a conversation, he realized she was a bit bad at it. Sometimes blunt, sometimes terse, sometimes having no idea what to say. Being the star of the battlefield hadn’t left much room for developing social skills. But there wasn’t anything wrong with that. If anything, it just made him happy that she always seemed to try a little harder when it came to talking to him.

The ones about her non-visual qualities typically went over better. Junko might’ve thrown her self-image in the trash, but she couldn’t take away her strength. She usually kept to herself in Gym class too, but when she had to participate… wow. She’d silently compete with Sakura and Mondo to be head of Gym class, and quite often won. Sure, Sakura would always win in a round of sheer strength or melee skill, and Mondo had his moments, but Naegi found himself in awe when Mukuro was still doing push-ups long after the other two had given in.

And while Junko had convinced her she was a dumb, useless dog, there was no denying she had to be sharp and focused to succeed on the battlefield. She had a dry wit about her that left him unsure if she was joking or not, but he often laughed regardless. She was smart. Often he’d end up red in the face when they compared test scores and hers eclipsed his. Hey, he tried his best! 

Things had been going well. At least, Mukuro had gone from brushing off his words to accepting them with a small nod or a smile. Yet, there were still things Naegi was just now noticing. Things that were more personal, deep. Things that… he wasn’t entirely sure what to think about.

She was very thin, a bit worryingly so. Whenever they had lunch together, he always offered to give her a bit more from his own plate, though she often declined. She wasn’t particularly malnourished, though… just incredibly active. Upon closer inspection, he could see the strong, lean muscles in her arms, in her legs. He’d caught her coming out of the campus gym once and saw she had abs across her stomach you could probably break your fist on. He resisted the urge to ask if he could feel any of them.

As quiet as she was, she had a knack for acting. One time she dared to imitate her twin and got Naegi clutching his sides… it was accurate, and also hilarious hearing her speak so casually. Another time, he caught her humming a bit, and realized she had a lovely melodic voice when she wanted to. He wished she’d use it more.

One time he’d spotted her trudging up behind him in the rain on the way to school. The way the water made her normally slick hair loose and natural left him breathless. For once, it was him who was left embarrassed and speechless when she asked what he was looking at today.

Over time, she started to blush more and more at his words, and he found himself enjoying the way it made her freckles light up. Seeing them pop out against a faint red was charming. Sometimes he’d lay it on a bit thick just to be able to see them stand out a bit longer.

His observations grew more and more precise… and eventually, unshareable. He had to think of something else to say when he wanted to call her absolutely stunning, her eyes mesmerizing, her voice so pleasing to hear. And her lips…

Naegi started to fear his encounters with her as much as he loved them, realizing the effect it was having on him. This had gone farther than inspiring positivity. He’d spent so long pointing out her good points that they’d become all he could think about. And he didn’t want to stop.

Yet it came as a surprise when he wasn’t the first to act on it. It’d been another early morning before class like any other when Mukuro offered him a proposition. She couldn’t meet his eyes as she mumbled her words.

“I’ll accept what you say… maybe… if you… i-if you’ll keep talking with me after school? …We can hang out somewhere you like.” 

It was strange, to say the least, seeing such a hardened soldier so bashful about asking someone out. So how could he say no? Especially when his answer came so easily. He dared to let a hand rest over hers, right on her tattoo. “Sure! But let’s pick somewhere we like.”

As her face lit up, he decided the prettiest thing about her were her smiles. 

* * *

Even when he finally ran out of new things to say, he didn’t stop reminding her she had far more value than she thought. 

And sometimes, other ways to show her just fell into his lap… or in one case, fell literally into hers.

Naegi had agreed to help decorate the school festival, working to drape banners over doorways up on a ladder. At least, until he accidentally snagged his foot on an upper rung and threw his balance off.

“W-whoa…!” He jerked forward, clinging to the ladder… but it was too late. He was teetering off its side, and if he didn’t let go, he was going to bring it down on top of him. Reluctantly, he released it and fell, knowing he’d been high enough that this was going to hurt.

Until he fell right into someone’s arms.

When he could bring himself to open his eyes again, he found himself looking into someone else’s. A familiar steely glare turned much softer when she realized who she’d caught. “Mukuro?”

She was lifting him so effortlessly. Almost protectively, she glanced him over, making sure he hadn’t somehow gotten hurt between the ladder and her arms. “Are you alright?”

He nodded. “Yeah, but… you can, uh, let me down now.”

It took a moment to register, but when it did, her face lit up. “…Right…” Slowly, she lowered her feet first, clearing her throat once he’d stepped down. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be! You really helped me out there.”

A bit embarrassed from before, she crossed her arms. “You should be more careful.”

“Yeah…” 

After a moment, she smiled just the slightest bit. “For a Lucky Student, you end up in situations like this a lot.”

He nodded. “Yeah… luck comes to me both good and bad. But even though I fell, I was really lucky to have you around, wasn’t I?” 

“I guess…”

After a moment, he went a step further. “It’s… always pretty nice when you’re around.”

The old her would’ve asked if he was joking – or crazy. But this time, she was left speechless, shuffling on her feet. “…I could say the same,” she finally admitted. And then just as quickly, she spun on her heel. “But I should get going.”

“Wait!” To her surprise and perhaps his own, he reached out to stop her, grabbing her hand. He couldn’t help but notice how well they fit together, the way her grip was so callused and strong yet still being warm and soft. He, uh… he shouldn’t compliment those kinds of things, right? “Do you want to help me set up the rest of the decorations?”

She seemed unsure, as if she’d be intruding. Intruding on… him working alone. Even she could see how ridiculous that was. Suddenly, she squeezed his hand, and he wasn’t sure why his heart felt so light. “I’d be happy to.”

He beamed. “Great!” They were still linked together as he pulled them away to show what he’d done so far. Mukuro took that chance to do a little observing of her own.

His praise had become something she looked forward to every day. It was far from one-sided, either. Mukuro had been crushing on him even before their little situation started, when he smiled at her, a stranger, and lit up her world. Getting to know him had just confirmed everything she’d thought. He was cute, in more ways than one. Friendly, enough to even get someone like her to open up. Optimistic enough for it to even rub off on her. 

But the thing she liked most of all… was his heart. How he kept looking forward no matter how rough things were. It was inspiring. He was a kind soul, and he never gave up. He’d given someone like her a chance. No… he insisted she’d deserved a chance all along.

Whatever he’d been saying was cut off when she finally blurted out what she’d been wondering for a while.

“Are we… together, Naegi?” 

She’d taken him by surprise. But in the end, he just laughed. “I already thought we were.”

While they laughed and tittered sheepishly, two blonde pigtails slipped out of sight unseen.

* * *

“Oh, Muukuuuuroooo…”

Mukuro was alert in an instant, looking across her bedroom. Usually, when her sister was seeking her out, an attempt on her life was soon to follow. At the least, some degradation or enlisting for a scheme of hers.

But not this time. There were no knives or grenades to dodge, only the other Despair Sister leaning against Mukuro’s doorframe without a care in the world. Like she just wanted to chit-chat with her sister a bit… but Mukuro would not like to hear the subject.

“I hear you’ve gotten a bit _lucky_ recently. I thought it was the funniest joke I’d ever heard! But it wasn’t one. I almost died from shock!”

Mukuro winced. She’d been unscarred on the battlefield, and yet Junko had given her enough scars for a lifetime. “...If you mean Makoto, that’s right.”

Junko looked aghast, like Mukuro had just spit in her direction. “Eww! I don’t know how you can tolerate someone so boring… or how he can tolerate someone so disappointing.”

Darn. Mukuro had forgotten to prepare for the knives aimed at her heart instead of her body. Normally Junko’s biting words would bring a sense of pleasure with the pain, the soothing reassurance that she was showing her love in her own twisted way. But right now… her words just hurt, through and through, trying to dismantle the confidence that’d slowly been building inside her.

Despite the insults, Mukuro pushed herself up off her bed, trying to look a bit less subservient than usual. “He’s not boring. Not to me, at least…” EVERYTHING was boring to Junko, but Naegi seemed to draw her ire even more than the rest. “And he says I’m…”

“Who cares what he says?” She was cut off by her sister’s hand snapping in front of her face. “Just look at you…” She reached up to lightly tug at a strand of black hair. “Boring. Ugly.” She let it go, letting her finger flick her head on the way down. “Emptyheaded.” She tapped her chest. “Flat.” She moved to go around her, but suddenly bumped her, almost knocking the girl over. “Clumsy.” And finally grabbed the girl’s hand, holding her Fenrir tattoo up between them. “ _A killer._ ”

The last bit stung in particular. Sure, Naegi knew her talent, and accepted it just like the rest of her… but had he ever really sat down and realized how much blood she had on her hands? Some of it at her sister’s command.

...And yet she knew he’d somehow still forgive her for that.

Mukuro refused to give in this time. But she wasn’t sure how she could. Everything Junko was saying had basically been gospel all her life. She knew just how to get under someone’s skin… into their mind.

Junko pressed the advantage, and before Mukuro knew it her sister had tripped her onto the floor, shoving her heel down on her stomach. “Look at you! You barely even make a good rug. But don’t worry… I’ll always be around to remind you of your place.”

She was a soldier, one of the greatest in the world, and yet she felt completely helpless as Junko ground down on her torso. Her heel stung, but not nearly as much as her words.

Mukuro still cared for her sister, despite it all. She was cruel, manipulative, and twisted, but she knew that that was just her way of showing Mukuro she loved her. For the longest time, she’d even longed for these moments, the only affection she ever received.

But she had no more room for that kind of love in her life anymore.

She grabbed Junko’s foot, her vicelike grip making sure the model wasn’t budging another inch. When Mukuro looked up at her and said the word she should’ve said a long time ago, there was fire in her eyes instead of despair.

“Stop.”

“...Eh?” Junko was impossible to surprise. And yet, in this moment, her eyes were wide in disbelief.

It didn’t last long. She laughed, loud and cruelly. “Awwww, looks like big sis decided to grow a spine!” And if she had any say in it, she was going to crush it. She pressed forward with her foot, looking to pin her again.

And then the world flipped. In an instant, it was Junko pressed facefirst into the floor while Mukuro held her hands behind her back. “I. Said. Stop.”

Even at a disadvantage, Junko was flippant, just blowing hair from her eyes like getting put in a hold was boring. “Hey, lighten up, this shirt alone costs more than you ever will. Come on… you and I both know that dork’s gonna bounce the second he finds someone better. So why not speed it up a little? Makoto’s temporary… but you, me, and despair… we’re forever~.”

Mukuro hesitated. For a moment, she wanted to give in, to help her sister up and return to the life of despair. It was all she’d ever known. So painful, yet so comforting…

No. Even if she was right and Naegi threw her away… that’d just plunge her into a despair greater than they’d ever known.

For the first time in her life, she was in a situation where she couldn’t lose. And the odds were in her favor.

She let Junko go with disgust, getting up and walking out. “I’m heading out.”

Junko stayed on the floor, sitting up with a hand on her knee like she was lounging instead of peeling herself off the rug. “Deep down, you know I’m right,” she called. “I always am. So let me know when you’re done playing pretend, ‘kay?”

Mukuro didn’t respond. She just left, the door rattling as it slammed shut behind her.

Left alone, Junko could only sigh dreamily. “Ahhhh, young love. It’s so sickening~.”

* * *

Her sister’s words were hard to shake off, but Naegi was certainly helping.

As time passed, Naegi felt more comfortable sharing the details he hadn’t been willing to at first. How beautiful she was, how he loved making her laugh and hearing her voice. And while she wasn’t as open… she reciprocated.

But that didn’t mean she could just forget her years with Junko. How she seemed to be trying extra hard to undermine her sister’s newfound confidence.

Not even Valentine’s Day could break the lingering loathing inside her.

And Naegi noticed it. Mukuro wasn’t a ray of sunshine on the best of days… but even now, enjoying a chilly day’s walk with her boyfriend, her eyes stayed locked on the ground. “What’s wrong?” he asked, always able to sense when she was off.

Just like she would always shrug it off. “I’m fine,” she insisted quietly.

“Mukuro…”

She sighed. He was so persistently positive, a curse sometimes as much as it was a blessing. And she loved him for it.

…But did he really feel the same?

For someone as kind as him, his stare had a good way of making her want to spill. So at least, she sighed, sticking her fists in her coat pockets.

“…Sometimes I still wonder what you see in me.”

He stopped in his tracks. “Are you kidding me?”

She wouldn’t look back at him. “How do I know you haven’t been lying to make me feel better?” She wasn’t sure what was scarier… the idea that she might be ruining everything, or that she might be completely right.

Naegi immediately went to dismiss that thought… then stopped, his jaw set. This wasn’t a doubt that could be disproven with just words. It needed evidence. “…You don’t. But can’t you trust me? I have no reason to lie. And would we be dating if I wasn’t genuine?”

Her head tilted up a bit. Even she couldn’t deny he had a knack for knowing what to say. “…I guess you have a point, but…”

“No buts! I don’t know who or what made you think this way, but they were wrong. Mukuro, you are incredible.” He didn’t sound disappointed or weary… just insistent. “I’ve never met someone so strong. Which is why I still don’t get why you’d let this hold you back. You disprove everything they’ve said just by existing! I’ve sung your praises all this time, and I’m still gonna. So if you’re not going to love yourself… I’ll just have to love you more to make up for it. So if you can’t trust yourself, could you trust me?”

All was silent a moment, the wind quietly whistling past them. Then, Naegi seemed to relax a bit. “Sorry… I know that was a bit much. And cheesy. But it’s just… I’ve never said anything to you I didn’t mean. I’ve never been trying to just lift your spirits – I’ve wanted to help you see the truth.” He dared to take a step closer. “So when you ask me what I see in you… I see a girl who’s perfect to me.”

She finally turned around. Mukuro was a woman of few emotions, so when he saw tears brimming under her eyes, he felt he’d really screwed up.

“I-I’m sorry!” he stammered. “I don’t know what I said wrong, but I didn’t mean to upset you! Please, don’t cry…”

Naegi didn’t have to worry. She was tough, and it’d take far more than words to break her down. Wasn’t that what he’d just said, after all? She’d just been caught off guard by the sincere, overwhelming honesty. She reached up to wipe her eyes. Only when he saw her lips curve into her biggest smile yet did he realize she was happy. “No, Naegi. I think you said everything right.”

He breathed a sigh of relief, taking her hand to pull her closer. She’d made long strides since they’d first started talking, and he was proud of where she’d gotten. He was going to help her make it the rest of the way. “So… trust me?”

She sounded a lot more sure than before. “I’ll try.”

* * *

And she did. When he spoke kindly, she made herself stop picking his comments apart and just accepted them. It wasn’t easy. It might not ever be. But she was slowly feeling better about herself, and found herself liking what she was hearing.

There was still one more thing to take care of, though. She was always going to keep falling back so long as she let her sister worm her way into her head. It was time for a talk.

It wasn’t the first time Mukuro had headed upstairs to be greeted by projectiles. The moment she reached the landing, her sister popped out from hiding with a freakin’ rocket launcher in her hands. “Heeeeads up!”

The two of them had made a game of Junko trying to kill her, and Mukuro deflecting it with all the skill and tact she’d acquired. Already she could see dozens of ways to get out of this situation. But this time, she chose the easy way.

She stepped to the side. 

The rocket flew by and kept barreling on… towards Junko’s room. With a deafening roar, their estate shook as it hit and blew her side of the house sky high.

Junko could only gape at the debris falling down. “Sis. What… the… HELL. You were supposed to, like, deflect it somewhere else or something! Or, you know, eat it and die, that’d work too.” She looked past Mukuro to see her room a pile of shrapnel and splinters. “Look at what you did! All my stuff… burned to ash…” And yet Junko had the biggest grin on her face.

Uncaring for the destruction behind her, Mukuro stomped forward and roughly kicked the launcher sky high. It ripped from Junko’s grip, flying over the banister downstairs.

Junko ran over to watch it clatter, letting out a low whistle. “Oooooh, you shouldn’t have done that.”

“But I did.” Mukuro grabbed her sister and spun her around, jabbing a finger at her chest. “And you should’ve supported me in the one good thing that’s happened to me my whole life. We both made mistakes. I’m going to fix mine. Never talk to me again. We share the same house, the same blood, and nothing more.”

Junko just giggled, as if big sis was playing around. “C’moooon, you don’t mean that…”

“I do.”

Junko’s analytic eye should’ve seen a scrap of unsureness or weakness for her to exploit… but she couldn’t. Mukuro was absolute in this. She was done with Junko. And all for the phony-baloney sweet nothings of a total loser.

She didn’t even have the time to sit back and appreciate the absolute high this was giving her.

So be it.

Junko simply shrugged. “If that’s what you want, sis.” Her face was cold and empty as she met her gaze. “Just remember that I’ll always love ya.”

Mukuro froze. It’d be touching from anyone else… but she knew this was basically Junko’s way of disowning her. If she didn’t apologize right now… that was it. The Despair Sisters were done forever.

And it would be for the best.

Her heart hung heavy, but Mukuro finally stepped back and walked away. “I’ll always love you too, Junko. Now get out of my life.”

Junko watched her sister go back to her room. A million ideas ran through her mind… poisoning her sister, taking Naegi out, anything to feel like she was still in control. But what would be the point? She really did love her sister deep down. And if she couldn’t show it her way anymore… she wasn’t going to show it at all.

Junko had millions of fans, millions of followers… and she’d just lost the only one that actually mattered. Her heart tore in two, and she enjoyed every awful second of it. All she could do was hold herself and watch her sister disappear down the hall.

“Bye, Mukuro.”

* * *

The scariest thing of all was Junko keeping her word. Mukuro anticipated retribution for a few days, but quickly realized once she’d stopped being useful to Junko, it was like she’d stopped existing. Her sister had the keenest eye in the world, and yet it was like Mukuro was invisible to her. She had no idea if Junko was respecting her demands or just glad to be rid of her. It hurt. But it didn’t hurt as much as when they interacted.

The eerie silence at home was too much to bear sometimes. She found herself heading to Naegi’s more often, getting to know his sister, his parents. She soon found herself part of a much more welcoming family, one that greeted her with warm smiles and greetings instead of neglect.

And as she found the self-respect she deserved all along, she and Naegi grew closer all the while. They had their ups. They had their downs. All relationships did. But what mattered was they both kept trying. Time flew by, and she continued to make more and more progress.

Eventually, she smiled more than not, and took his words to heart. By the time she finally moved away from her sister, there wasn’t anything the fashionista could say to upset her. And why did she move away? Well…

Naegi found Mukuro on the couch, facing away. He knew trying to sneak up on the Ultimate Soldier was futile, but he tried it anyway.

Mukuro pretended to be surprised when she felt arms encircling her from behind, glancing up with that smirk he’d come to love. “Need something?”

“Nah. I just thought I’d point out how great you look today.”

She smiled a bit wider, reaching up to caress his cheek as her ring shimmered on her hand. “You’re not so bad yourself,” she teased, a small smile on her face. They both laughed lightly before they leaned in for a kiss.


End file.
